WAR AND CHRISTIANITY (Excerpts of a speech by Laurence M. Vance)
I am especially grateful for the invitation of this conference because I spoke here last year, and was still invited back.
I will like to speak to you today about Christianity and war.
I don't suppose there's anything I write and speak about
with more fervour than the biblical, economic and political fallacies of religious people.
This is especially true regarding the general subject
of Christianity and war.
If there's any group of people that should be opposed to war, torture, militarism, the warfare state, state worship,
suppression of civil liberties, an empirial presidency,
blind nationalism, government propaganda,
and an aggressive foreign policy, it is Christians.
And especially... Christians who claim to strictly follow
the dictates of Scripture and worship the Prince of Peace.
It is indeed strange that Christian people should be so accepting of war. War is the greatest suppressor if civil liberties.
War is the greatest destrozer of religion, morality and decency.
War is the greatest creator of fertile ground for genocidesand atrocities. War is the greatest destroyer of families and young lives. War is the greatest creator of famine, disease and homlessness.
War is the health of a state. But Christianity is in a sad state.
In the church can be found some of the greatest supporters
of the state, its leaders, its military, and its wars.
Christians who are otherwise good, godly disciples of Christ often turn into babbling idiots, when it comes to the subjects of war, the military, and killing for the state.
There is an unholy desire on the part of a great many Christians to legitimize killing in war.
There persists the idea among too many Christians that mass killing in war is acceptable.
But the killing of one's neighbor violates the 6th commandment's prohibition against killing.
Christians who wouldn't think of using the Lord's name in vain blaspheme God when they make ridiculous statements like "God is pro-war."
Christians who try never to lie, do so with boldness when they claim they are pro-life, but refuse to extend their pro-life sentiments to foreigners already out of the womb.
Christians who abhor idols are guilty of idolatry when they say that we should follow the latest dictates of the state because we should always "obey the powers that be."
Christians who venerate the Bible handle the Word of God deceitfully when they quote Scripture to justify government wars.
Christians who claim to have the mind of Christ show that they have lost their mind when they want the full force of government to protect a stem cell, but have no conscience about soldiers killing for the government.
There is an unseemly alliance that exists between certain sectors of Christianity and the military.
Even Christians who are otherwise sound in the faith, who are not fooled by Bush's pseudo-Christianity and "faith-based socialism," who believe that the less government we have, who don't support the war in Iraq, and who oppose an aggressive U.S. foreign policy, even they get indignant when you question the instituion of the military.
Like those in foreign countries on the receiving end of a U.S. military intervention, I don't appreciate most of what the military does today.
Much of the blame for Christian support for war must be laid at the feet of the pastors, preachers and priests who have failed to discern the truth themselves, so they can educate their congregations.
Too many pastors are cheer-leaders for war, bloodshed, death and destruction. Since, after all, Iraquis are all just a bunch of "dumb rag heads," "Muslim heathens," or "incorrigible terrorists."
Many of the church and denominational leaders who don't ...
support the war in Iraq, are strangely silent.
Not a word about the immoraility of the Iraq war, not a word about U.S. imperialism.
Not a word about the lies of the U.S. government, not a word about the pseudo-Christianity of the president...
Not a word about Christians naively supporting the latest U.S. government pronouncement...
I don't buy the excuse that these leaders are merely preaching and teaching the Bible and choosing "not to dabble in politics."
They are silent about the evils of war.
If there's any group within Christianity that should be the most consistent, the most vocal, the most persistent, and the most scriptural in its opposition to war and the warfare state, it is Christians who look to the Bible as their sole authority.
Yet never at any time in history have so many of these Christians held such unholy opinions.
The admiration they have for the military is unholy.
The thirst they have for war is unholy.
The calloused attitude they have toward killing foreigners is unholy. The idolatry they manifest toward the state is unholy.
They themselves are evil, because they love war, the
military, and the warfare state.
If we are winning in Iraq, when 4000 soldiers are dead,
thousands of physically and/or mentally disabled need a
life-time of care, a trillion dollars has already been spent, the morale and readiness of the military is at historic lows, the reputation of America in the eyes of the world is at rock-bottom,and new terrorists are being created faster than we can kill them, I hate to see what kind of condition we would be in if we started
losing.
... And then there is John McCain, who's foreign policy is based on a Beach Boys song.
He is rarely, if ever, condemned for being the most radical warmonger of all the presidential candidates.
Christians generally consider him to be a decorated war hero instead of a dangerous, mad bomber.
I am a Bible-believing Christian, ...but the difference between me and the Christian apologists for Bush,
the military, war and the state, is that I worship the God of the Bible, not Mars, the god of war.
It is not Christianity I'm criticizing, it is Christians, who, by their persistent support for war, the warfare state and the military, are giving Christianity a bad name.
Christian warmongers have made Christians to stink among the non-Christian inhabitants of the United States.
After 5 years of this senseless war in Iraq, some of the war's greatest defenders continue to be Christians.
The morality of going to war in the first place, as well as the number of dead and wounded Iraquis is of absolutely no concern to most Christian Americans.
Yet every dead American soldier is a hero. What a beautiful word is that word, hero. The more hideous the death, the more beautiful the name it is necessary to find for it.
Christians have bought into a variety of American nationalism that has been called "the myth of American exceptionalism."
This is the idea that the government of the U.S. is morally and politically superior to all other governments, that America is a "city on a hill," the "redeemer nation," the "messiah nation,..." the "hope of all makind," as Bush said.
...That American values are the only true values; that the U.S. is the indispensible nation, responsible for the peace and prosperity of the world.
...That the motives of the U.S. are always benevolent and
paternalistic; that to accept American values is to be on
the side of God, but to resist them is to oppose God.
...That other governments must conform to the policies
of the U.S. government;
that other nations are potential enemies that threaten U.S. saftey and security;
and that the U.S. is morally justified in imposing sanctions or launching military attacks against any of our enemies that refuse to conform to our dictates.
This is why U.S. foreign policy is aggressive, reckless,
belligerent and meddling, ...results in discord, strife, hatred and terrorism toward the U.S.
This is why U.S. foreign policy excuses the mass murder of civilians ...as "for the greater good."
This is why the fruits of U.S. foreign policy are the destabilization and overthrow of governments,
the assassination of leaders, the destruction of industry
and infrastructure, the backing of military coups, death
squads and drug traffickers...
imperialism under the guise of humanitarianism,
support for corrupt and tyrranical governments,
brutal sanctions and embargos,
and the U.S. bribing and bullying itself around the world
as the world's policeman, fireman, social worker and
busibody.
And because Americans are preoccupied with reconciling religious faith with national pride, they care little about the consequences of American foreign policy, preferring instead to view the world in Maikian terms of good: us, and evil: them.
What a shame that non-Christians, including atheists,
agnostics, infidels, pagans and the irreligious, who oppose the genocide that the U.S. has unleashed in Iraq
have a higher moral code than that of many Christians.
Christian enthusiasm for war and the warfare state is a perversion of Christianity, an affront to the Savior Whom
Christians worship as the Prince of Peace,
a violation of Scripture, contrary to the whole tenor of the New Testament, and an unfortunate demonstration of the profound ignorance that many Christians have of history and their own Bible.
God only knows how many non-Christians have been driven from Christianity because of Christian indiffernce toward, or outright support of war.
The Early Christians were not warmongers, like so many
Christians today. They did not idolize the Cesars, like some Christians idolize Pres. Bush.
They did not make apologies for the Roman empire like many Christians do for the U.S. empire.
They did not venerate the institution of the military like most Christians do today.
They did not participate in the state's wars, like too many Christians do today.
If there was anything at all advocated by the Early Christians, it was peace.
After all, they had some New Testament admonitions to go by:
"Blessed are the peacemakers" - Matthew 5:9.
"Live peaceably with all men" - Romans 12:18;
"Follow peace with all men" - Hebrews 12:14
Aggression, violence and bloodshed are contrary to the very nature of Christianity.
The "Christian soldier" in the Bible fights against sin, the world, the flesh, and the Devil.
He wears the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. The weapons of the Christian are not carnal.
His shield is the shield of faith, and his sword is the Word of God. The New Testament admonishes Christians to not avenge themselves,
to do good to all men, and to not render evil for evil.
There is nothing in the NT from which to draw the conclusion that killing is somehow sanctified if it is done in the name of the state.
Unlike many Christians today, who proudly serve in Cesar's army, the Early Christians were critical of the Roman empire and military service.
Instead of being willing to die for the emperor and his empire, Christians declared "Jesus is Lord" in direct opposition to Roman imperial claims.
The shedding of blood on the battle field, the use of torture in the law courts, the passing of death sentences by officers, and the execution of them by common soldiers,...
the average behavior of soldiers in peace time, and other idolatrous and offensive customs all these would constitute in combination an exceedingly powerful deterrent against any Christian joining the army on his own initiative.
Lactanius described Christians as those who are "igorant of wars, who preserve concord with all, who are friends even to their enemies, who love all men as brothers, and know how to curb anger and soften
with quiet moderation every madness of the mind."
And then came "Just War" Theory. "Just War" theory concerns the use of force: when force should be used, and what kind of force is acceptable.
The timing of force relates to a country's justification for the intiation of war or military action.
The nature of force relates to how military activity is conducted once a county commits to use force.
Christian philosopher Robert Bramwell views "Just War" theory as untenable because it contradicts itself in that it sanctions the killing of innocents, which it at the same time prohibits.
And because it is used to justify, rather than to prevent war.
Indeed, "Just War" theory can be used effectively by all sides to justify all wars.
It is ... rooted obedience to the state. It is the state that decides to go to war, not the people,
most of whom want nothing to do with war, that is, until the state sufficiently propagandizes its citizens.
The state always claims that is acting defensively, has the right intention, has the proper authority, is undertaking war as a last resort, has a high probability of success, and that a war will achieve good that is proportionally greater than the damage to life, liberty and property that it will cause.
"Just War" theory merely allowed Christians to make peace with war.
Then, of course, came the crusades, followed by the continual wars among European Christians.
The ultimate picture of the folly of war is the bloodbath perpetrated by the Christians nations in World War I.
I have heard a lot, lately, about how most terrosrists are Muslims, about how Islam is a violent religion, and about how Muslims are willing to kill in the name of their religion.
But Christians who live in glass houses should be careful about throwing stones at Muslims.
In battle after senseless battle, Christian soldiers at WWI shot, bombed, torpedoed, burned, gased, bayonetted and starved each other - and civilian - until 20.000.000 of them were wounded, and another 20.000.000 lay dead.
Government leaders must convince the populace of the
absolute necessity of the war, the utter wickedness of
the enemy, and the supreme justness of the country’s cause.
To these ends the churches became willing servants of
The state. They contributed to war-time hysteria and
propaganda;
loyalty to one’s country became the highest expression
of the Christ-like life;
love of country exceeded love of mankind;
God and country became synonymous;
to give one’s life for his country and its flag, was to
give it for God and His Kingdom.
“Nowhere in the New Testament is patriotism, a narrowly-minded hatred of other peoples, encouraged.
Everywhere and always, murder, in its every form, is
forbidden.
And yet, under the guise of patriotism, several
governments of the earth demand of peace-loving
men the sacrifice of themselves and their loved-ones,
and the butchery of their fellows, and hail it as a duty
demanded by the laws of Heaven.”
Orthodox clergymen in the pulpit and their followers in
the pew during WWI both succumbed to war psychology
and the societal pressure, just as most other citizens.
We hear much of the same now regarding the Iraq war,
and without the massive propaganda campaign that was undertaken during WWI. I guess Christians have gotten
dumber.
When Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003 with the announcement the our cause was just,
Christians lined up in droves to support their president.
They implored us in church to pray for the troupes.
They made heroes out of every dead American soldier.
They began reciting their patriotic sloganeering, their
“God & Country” rhetoric, and their “Obey the powers that be” mantra;
deeming the state to be a divine institution, instead of a
lying, stealing and killing machine,
failing to separate the divine sanction of war against the
enemies of God in the Old Testament from the New Test-
ament ethic that taught otherwise,
having a profound ignorance of history and Primitive
Christianity…
Why have so many religious people gotten it so wrong?
Adopting the mindset that brute force is barbarism when
individuals use it, but honorable when nations are guilty
of it;
possessing a warped “God and country” complex,
holding a “my country, right or wrong” attitude,
accepting without reservation the myth of American
exceptionalism.
It doesn’t seem to matter the reason for each war or
intrusion into the affairs of another country,… how long
U.S. troupes remain after the initial intervention,
…how many foreign civilians are killed or injured,
…how many billions of dollars are spent by the military,
it doesn’t even seem to matter what the troupes are
actually doing.
Americans generally believe in supporting the troupes,
no matter what.
To express less than enthusiastic support is to show
calloused disregard for the lives of the young women
and men who face enemy bullets on our behalf.
As if by magic, the charge of disregard for life is leveled
against those who oppose placing troupes on the battle
field, while the potentates who place them there are held
immune.
Killing women and children at a distance of five feet is
viewed as an atrocity, but at more than 5000 feet it is a
heroic act.
Christians of all branches and denominations have a
love-affair with the military.
Because it is the story of interventionism, imperialism &
empire, because it results in discord, strife, hatred and
terrorism, the U.S. military, the enforcer of US foreign
policy is a force for evil in the world.
It is not honorable to serve in the military. This is a bitter
pill to swallow, especially for soldiers who fought for a lie and the families of soldiers who died for a lie.
America’s military heritage is unfortunately one of bombs and bullets, death & destruction, intervention
and invasion, and occupation and opporession.
The purpose of the military has been perverted beyond
all recognition. The military spreads democracy by bombs, bayonettes and bullets.
But regardless of how the purpose of the military has been perverted beyond all recognition, the troupes are still responsible for their actions. After all, it's the troupes that are doing the actual fighting...
As much as I have nothing but contempt for the arquitects of the war, the president who instigated the war, the neocons who welcomed the war, the congressmen who funded the war, and the conservatives who supported the war, it is still US soldiers who are dropping the bombs, firing the mortars, throwing the granades, launching the missiles, and shooting the bullets... who have paved the way for the rampant, sectarian violence...who have unleashed brutality, murder, genocide, death & destruction in Iraq.
No one is doing the fighting, except the soldiers. It doesn't matter who told them to bomb, maim and kill, or what the reason is they were told to do these things. If the troupes stopped fighting, the war would grind to a halt.
It is the troupes that are ultimately responsible for
prosecuting this senseless and immoral war.
Most people say the troupes are not responsible
because they're just following orders. "No soldier
is responsible for the death and destruction he inflicts,
as long as it is state-sanctioned death and destruction."
Many evangelical Christians agree and join in this chorus of state-olatry with their "Obey the powers that be" mantra.
The last time I looked in my Bible, I got the strong impression that it was only God Almighty that should be obeyed 100% of the time without question.
Why would we want US soldiers to follow orders to bomb, maim, kill and otherwise attack foreigners around the world that have never lifted a finger against the US?
We would get extremely upset at foreign soldiers if they
killed Americans, even they were just following their orders.
No supporter of the war in Iraq who uses the "obeying orders"
defense would allow a German officer at the Nuremberg trials to get away with saying he was just following Hitler's orders.
Why should morality be put off just because a uniform is
put on?
We've heard a lot lately about how the US may need to confront Iran militarily. First it was that the Iranian president was the reincarnation of Hitler.
Then it was Iran's ambition to build a nuclear bomb.
And now it is Iran's arming of Iraqui insurgents.
These are all bogus threats, of course. But when has that ever prevented the US from going to war?
Every act of American military intervention in some other country was made possible because the troupes blindly followed the orders of their superiors.
If they had refused to anything that was not related to
actually defending the country, then there would not have been any overseas deployments, pre-emptive strikes, landmines, torture under the guise of interrogation, and no meddling in other countries.
If the military's engaged in sending its soldiers thousands of miles away to kill people and destroy their property, why in God's name would a Christian join the military and help the state carry out its evil deed?
Why would a pastor implore his congregation to pray for
the troupes?
Many Christians would not allow their children to set foot in a public school, but then encourage them - or at least not discourage them - to join the US military and not only face government propaganda and immorality on a much greater scale, but participate in bringing death and destruction to the latest enemy not of the American people, but of the US government.
There is universal agreement among Christians, that no
Christian could in good conscience work as a pimp, a
prostitute, and abortionist, a drug dealer or an exotic
dancer.
But if the same Christian serves as a killer for hire for the US government, he is held in high esteem.
I know I've been rather blunt, but the Russian novelist was
even more direct:
"Armies will first diminish and then disappear only when
public opinion brands with contempt those who, either from fear or for advantage sell their liberty and enter the ranks of those murderers called soldiers."
Christians who join the military are willing accomplices
to murder.
Christians should stop this nonsense of asking God to
bless the troupes.
Should we pray that God blesses the troupes while they drop their bombs, throw their granades and shoot their bullets?
Is beseeching God to protect the troupes as they shoot,
bomb, maim and destroy and carry out an evil foreign policy; is that consistent with the Christianity in the New Testament?
We should pray that the troupes come home, we should pray that no more of their blood is shed on foreign soil in some senseless war!
But we should also pray that they stop bringing death and destruction to foreigners!
It is high time for Christians who still defend the state, its leaders, its military, and its wars, to wake up and open their eyes and recognoye some cold hard facts: The United States has become a rogue state, a pariah nation and evil empire.
The US military is the greatest force for evil in the world.
The US is the arms dealer to the world. The US is not the
world's policeman. The US cannot redeem the world
through violence.
The US government is the greatest threat to life, liberty and property, not the leaders or the military or the people of Iraq, Iran, Syria, China, Russia or Venezuela.
It is imperative that we return to the non-interventionist
foreign policy of the founders. Christians of all people
should be leading the way. Thank you.
I am especially grateful for the invitation of this conference because I spoke here last year, and was still invited back.
I will like to speak to you today about Christianity and war.
I don't suppose there's anything I write and speak about
with more fervour than the biblical, economic and political fallacies of religious people.
This is especially true regarding the general subject
of Christianity and war.
If there's any group of people that should be opposed to war, torture, militarism, the warfare state, state worship,
suppression of civil liberties, an empirial presidency,
blind nationalism, government propaganda,
and an aggressive foreign policy, it is Christians.
And especially... Christians who claim to strictly follow
the dictates of Scripture and worship the Prince of Peace.
It is indeed strange that Christian people should be so accepting of war. War is the greatest suppressor if civil liberties.
War is the greatest destrozer of religion, morality and decency.
War is the greatest creator of fertile ground for genocidesand atrocities. War is the greatest destroyer of families and young lives. War is the greatest creator of famine, disease and homlessness.
War is the health of a state. But Christianity is in a sad state.
In the church can be found some of the greatest supporters
of the state, its leaders, its military, and its wars.
Christians who are otherwise good, godly disciples of Christ often turn into babbling idiots, when it comes to the subjects of war, the military, and killing for the state.
There is an unholy desire on the part of a great many Christians to legitimize killing in war.
There persists the idea among too many Christians that mass killing in war is acceptable.
But the killing of one's neighbor violates the 6th commandment's prohibition against killing.
Christians who wouldn't think of using the Lord's name in vain blaspheme God when they make ridiculous statements like "God is pro-war."
Christians who try never to lie, do so with boldness when they claim they are pro-life, but refuse to extend their pro-life sentiments to foreigners already out of the womb.
Christians who abhor idols are guilty of idolatry when they say that we should follow the latest dictates of the state because we should always "obey the powers that be."
Christians who venerate the Bible handle the Word of God deceitfully when they quote Scripture to justify government wars.
Christians who claim to have the mind of Christ show that they have lost their mind when they want the full force of government to protect a stem cell, but have no conscience about soldiers killing for the government.
There is an unseemly alliance that exists between certain sectors of Christianity and the military.
Even Christians who are otherwise sound in the faith, who are not fooled by Bush's pseudo-Christianity and "faith-based socialism," who believe that the less government we have, who don't support the war in Iraq, and who oppose an aggressive U.S. foreign policy, even they get indignant when you question the instituion of the military.
Like those in foreign countries on the receiving end of a U.S. military intervention, I don't appreciate most of what the military does today.
Much of the blame for Christian support for war must be laid at the feet of the pastors, preachers and priests who have failed to discern the truth themselves, so they can educate their congregations.
Too many pastors are cheer-leaders for war, bloodshed, death and destruction. Since, after all, Iraquis are all just a bunch of "dumb rag heads," "Muslim heathens," or "incorrigible terrorists."
Many of the church and denominational leaders who don't ...
support the war in Iraq, are strangely silent.
Not a word about the immoraility of the Iraq war, not a word about U.S. imperialism.
Not a word about the lies of the U.S. government, not a word about the pseudo-Christianity of the president...
Not a word about Christians naively supporting the latest U.S. government pronouncement...
I don't buy the excuse that these leaders are merely preaching and teaching the Bible and choosing "not to dabble in politics."
They are silent about the evils of war.
If there's any group within Christianity that should be the most consistent, the most vocal, the most persistent, and the most scriptural in its opposition to war and the warfare state, it is Christians who look to the Bible as their sole authority.
Yet never at any time in history have so many of these Christians held such unholy opinions.
The admiration they have for the military is unholy.
The thirst they have for war is unholy.
The calloused attitude they have toward killing foreigners is unholy. The idolatry they manifest toward the state is unholy.
They themselves are evil, because they love war, the
military, and the warfare state.
If we are winning in Iraq, when 4000 soldiers are dead,
thousands of physically and/or mentally disabled need a
life-time of care, a trillion dollars has already been spent, the morale and readiness of the military is at historic lows, the reputation of America in the eyes of the world is at rock-bottom,and new terrorists are being created faster than we can kill them, I hate to see what kind of condition we would be in if we started
losing.
... And then there is John McCain, who's foreign policy is based on a Beach Boys song.
He is rarely, if ever, condemned for being the most radical warmonger of all the presidential candidates.
Christians generally consider him to be a decorated war hero instead of a dangerous, mad bomber.
I am a Bible-believing Christian, ...but the difference between me and the Christian apologists for Bush,
the military, war and the state, is that I worship the God of the Bible, not Mars, the god of war.
It is not Christianity I'm criticizing, it is Christians, who, by their persistent support for war, the warfare state and the military, are giving Christianity a bad name.
Christian warmongers have made Christians to stink among the non-Christian inhabitants of the United States.
After 5 years of this senseless war in Iraq, some of the war's greatest defenders continue to be Christians.
The morality of going to war in the first place, as well as the number of dead and wounded Iraquis is of absolutely no concern to most Christian Americans.
Yet every dead American soldier is a hero. What a beautiful word is that word, hero. The more hideous the death, the more beautiful the name it is necessary to find for it.
Christians have bought into a variety of American nationalism that has been called "the myth of American exceptionalism."
This is the idea that the government of the U.S. is morally and politically superior to all other governments, that America is a "city on a hill," the "redeemer nation," the "messiah nation,..." the "hope of all makind," as Bush said.
...That American values are the only true values; that the U.S. is the indispensible nation, responsible for the peace and prosperity of the world.
...That the motives of the U.S. are always benevolent and
paternalistic; that to accept American values is to be on
the side of God, but to resist them is to oppose God.
...That other governments must conform to the policies
of the U.S. government;
that other nations are potential enemies that threaten U.S. saftey and security;
and that the U.S. is morally justified in imposing sanctions or launching military attacks against any of our enemies that refuse to conform to our dictates.
This is why U.S. foreign policy is aggressive, reckless,
belligerent and meddling, ...results in discord, strife, hatred and terrorism toward the U.S.
This is why U.S. foreign policy excuses the mass murder of civilians ...as "for the greater good."
This is why the fruits of U.S. foreign policy are the destabilization and overthrow of governments,
the assassination of leaders, the destruction of industry
and infrastructure, the backing of military coups, death
squads and drug traffickers...
imperialism under the guise of humanitarianism,
support for corrupt and tyrranical governments,
brutal sanctions and embargos,
and the U.S. bribing and bullying itself around the world
as the world's policeman, fireman, social worker and
busibody.
And because Americans are preoccupied with reconciling religious faith with national pride, they care little about the consequences of American foreign policy, preferring instead to view the world in Maikian terms of good: us, and evil: them.
What a shame that non-Christians, including atheists,
agnostics, infidels, pagans and the irreligious, who oppose the genocide that the U.S. has unleashed in Iraq
have a higher moral code than that of many Christians.
Christian enthusiasm for war and the warfare state is a perversion of Christianity, an affront to the Savior Whom
Christians worship as the Prince of Peace,
a violation of Scripture, contrary to the whole tenor of the New Testament, and an unfortunate demonstration of the profound ignorance that many Christians have of history and their own Bible.
God only knows how many non-Christians have been driven from Christianity because of Christian indiffernce toward, or outright support of war.
The Early Christians were not warmongers, like so many
Christians today. They did not idolize the Cesars, like some Christians idolize Pres. Bush.
They did not make apologies for the Roman empire like many Christians do for the U.S. empire.
They did not venerate the institution of the military like most Christians do today.
They did not participate in the state's wars, like too many Christians do today.
If there was anything at all advocated by the Early Christians, it was peace.
After all, they had some New Testament admonitions to go by:
"Blessed are the peacemakers" - Matthew 5:9.
"Live peaceably with all men" - Romans 12:18;
"Follow peace with all men" - Hebrews 12:14
Aggression, violence and bloodshed are contrary to the very nature of Christianity.
The "Christian soldier" in the Bible fights against sin, the world, the flesh, and the Devil.
He wears the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. The weapons of the Christian are not carnal.
His shield is the shield of faith, and his sword is the Word of God. The New Testament admonishes Christians to not avenge themselves,
to do good to all men, and to not render evil for evil.
There is nothing in the NT from which to draw the conclusion that killing is somehow sanctified if it is done in the name of the state.
Unlike many Christians today, who proudly serve in Cesar's army, the Early Christians were critical of the Roman empire and military service.
Instead of being willing to die for the emperor and his empire, Christians declared "Jesus is Lord" in direct opposition to Roman imperial claims.
The shedding of blood on the battle field, the use of torture in the law courts, the passing of death sentences by officers, and the execution of them by common soldiers,...
the average behavior of soldiers in peace time, and other idolatrous and offensive customs all these would constitute in combination an exceedingly powerful deterrent against any Christian joining the army on his own initiative.
Lactanius described Christians as those who are "igorant of wars, who preserve concord with all, who are friends even to their enemies, who love all men as brothers, and know how to curb anger and soften
with quiet moderation every madness of the mind."
And then came "Just War" Theory. "Just War" theory concerns the use of force: when force should be used, and what kind of force is acceptable.
The timing of force relates to a country's justification for the intiation of war or military action.
The nature of force relates to how military activity is conducted once a county commits to use force.
Christian philosopher Robert Bramwell views "Just War" theory as untenable because it contradicts itself in that it sanctions the killing of innocents, which it at the same time prohibits.
And because it is used to justify, rather than to prevent war.
Indeed, "Just War" theory can be used effectively by all sides to justify all wars.
It is ... rooted obedience to the state. It is the state that decides to go to war, not the people,
most of whom want nothing to do with war, that is, until the state sufficiently propagandizes its citizens.
The state always claims that is acting defensively, has the right intention, has the proper authority, is undertaking war as a last resort, has a high probability of success, and that a war will achieve good that is proportionally greater than the damage to life, liberty and property that it will cause.
"Just War" theory merely allowed Christians to make peace with war.
Then, of course, came the crusades, followed by the continual wars among European Christians.
The ultimate picture of the folly of war is the bloodbath perpetrated by the Christians nations in World War I.
I have heard a lot, lately, about how most terrosrists are Muslims, about how Islam is a violent religion, and about how Muslims are willing to kill in the name of their religion.
But Christians who live in glass houses should be careful about throwing stones at Muslims.
In battle after senseless battle, Christian soldiers at WWI shot, bombed, torpedoed, burned, gased, bayonetted and starved each other - and civilian - until 20.000.000 of them were wounded, and another 20.000.000 lay dead.
Government leaders must convince the populace of the
absolute necessity of the war, the utter wickedness of
the enemy, and the supreme justness of the country’s cause.
To these ends the churches became willing servants of
The state. They contributed to war-time hysteria and
propaganda;
loyalty to one’s country became the highest expression
of the Christ-like life;
love of country exceeded love of mankind;
God and country became synonymous;
to give one’s life for his country and its flag, was to
give it for God and His Kingdom.
“Nowhere in the New Testament is patriotism, a narrowly-minded hatred of other peoples, encouraged.
Everywhere and always, murder, in its every form, is
forbidden.
And yet, under the guise of patriotism, several
governments of the earth demand of peace-loving
men the sacrifice of themselves and their loved-ones,
and the butchery of their fellows, and hail it as a duty
demanded by the laws of Heaven.”
Orthodox clergymen in the pulpit and their followers in
the pew during WWI both succumbed to war psychology
and the societal pressure, just as most other citizens.
We hear much of the same now regarding the Iraq war,
and without the massive propaganda campaign that was undertaken during WWI. I guess Christians have gotten
dumber.
When Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003 with the announcement the our cause was just,
Christians lined up in droves to support their president.
They implored us in church to pray for the troupes.
They made heroes out of every dead American soldier.
They began reciting their patriotic sloganeering, their
“God & Country” rhetoric, and their “Obey the powers that be” mantra;
deeming the state to be a divine institution, instead of a
lying, stealing and killing machine,
failing to separate the divine sanction of war against the
enemies of God in the Old Testament from the New Test-
ament ethic that taught otherwise,
having a profound ignorance of history and Primitive
Christianity…
Why have so many religious people gotten it so wrong?
Adopting the mindset that brute force is barbarism when
individuals use it, but honorable when nations are guilty
of it;
possessing a warped “God and country” complex,
holding a “my country, right or wrong” attitude,
accepting without reservation the myth of American
exceptionalism.
It doesn’t seem to matter the reason for each war or
intrusion into the affairs of another country,… how long
U.S. troupes remain after the initial intervention,
…how many foreign civilians are killed or injured,
…how many billions of dollars are spent by the military,
it doesn’t even seem to matter what the troupes are
actually doing.
Americans generally believe in supporting the troupes,
no matter what.
To express less than enthusiastic support is to show
calloused disregard for the lives of the young women
and men who face enemy bullets on our behalf.
As if by magic, the charge of disregard for life is leveled
against those who oppose placing troupes on the battle
field, while the potentates who place them there are held
immune.
Killing women and children at a distance of five feet is
viewed as an atrocity, but at more than 5000 feet it is a
heroic act.
Christians of all branches and denominations have a
love-affair with the military.
Because it is the story of interventionism, imperialism &
empire, because it results in discord, strife, hatred and
terrorism, the U.S. military, the enforcer of US foreign
policy is a force for evil in the world.
It is not honorable to serve in the military. This is a bitter
pill to swallow, especially for soldiers who fought for a lie and the families of soldiers who died for a lie.
America’s military heritage is unfortunately one of bombs and bullets, death & destruction, intervention
and invasion, and occupation and opporession.
The purpose of the military has been perverted beyond
all recognition. The military spreads democracy by bombs, bayonettes and bullets.
But regardless of how the purpose of the military has been perverted beyond all recognition, the troupes are still responsible for their actions. After all, it's the troupes that are doing the actual fighting...
As much as I have nothing but contempt for the arquitects of the war, the president who instigated the war, the neocons who welcomed the war, the congressmen who funded the war, and the conservatives who supported the war, it is still US soldiers who are dropping the bombs, firing the mortars, throwing the granades, launching the missiles, and shooting the bullets... who have paved the way for the rampant, sectarian violence...who have unleashed brutality, murder, genocide, death & destruction in Iraq.
No one is doing the fighting, except the soldiers. It doesn't matter who told them to bomb, maim and kill, or what the reason is they were told to do these things. If the troupes stopped fighting, the war would grind to a halt.
It is the troupes that are ultimately responsible for
prosecuting this senseless and immoral war.
Most people say the troupes are not responsible
because they're just following orders. "No soldier
is responsible for the death and destruction he inflicts,
as long as it is state-sanctioned death and destruction."
Many evangelical Christians agree and join in this chorus of state-olatry with their "Obey the powers that be" mantra.
The last time I looked in my Bible, I got the strong impression that it was only God Almighty that should be obeyed 100% of the time without question.
Why would we want US soldiers to follow orders to bomb, maim, kill and otherwise attack foreigners around the world that have never lifted a finger against the US?
We would get extremely upset at foreign soldiers if they
killed Americans, even they were just following their orders.
No supporter of the war in Iraq who uses the "obeying orders"
defense would allow a German officer at the Nuremberg trials to get away with saying he was just following Hitler's orders.
Why should morality be put off just because a uniform is
put on?
We've heard a lot lately about how the US may need to confront Iran militarily. First it was that the Iranian president was the reincarnation of Hitler.
Then it was Iran's ambition to build a nuclear bomb.
And now it is Iran's arming of Iraqui insurgents.
These are all bogus threats, of course. But when has that ever prevented the US from going to war?
Every act of American military intervention in some other country was made possible because the troupes blindly followed the orders of their superiors.
If they had refused to anything that was not related to
actually defending the country, then there would not have been any overseas deployments, pre-emptive strikes, landmines, torture under the guise of interrogation, and no meddling in other countries.
If the military's engaged in sending its soldiers thousands of miles away to kill people and destroy their property, why in God's name would a Christian join the military and help the state carry out its evil deed?
Why would a pastor implore his congregation to pray for
the troupes?
Many Christians would not allow their children to set foot in a public school, but then encourage them - or at least not discourage them - to join the US military and not only face government propaganda and immorality on a much greater scale, but participate in bringing death and destruction to the latest enemy not of the American people, but of the US government.
There is universal agreement among Christians, that no
Christian could in good conscience work as a pimp, a
prostitute, and abortionist, a drug dealer or an exotic
dancer.
But if the same Christian serves as a killer for hire for the US government, he is held in high esteem.
I know I've been rather blunt, but the Russian novelist was
even more direct:
"Armies will first diminish and then disappear only when
public opinion brands with contempt those who, either from fear or for advantage sell their liberty and enter the ranks of those murderers called soldiers."
Christians who join the military are willing accomplices
to murder.
Christians should stop this nonsense of asking God to
bless the troupes.
Should we pray that God blesses the troupes while they drop their bombs, throw their granades and shoot their bullets?
Is beseeching God to protect the troupes as they shoot,
bomb, maim and destroy and carry out an evil foreign policy; is that consistent with the Christianity in the New Testament?
We should pray that the troupes come home, we should pray that no more of their blood is shed on foreign soil in some senseless war!
But we should also pray that they stop bringing death and destruction to foreigners!
It is high time for Christians who still defend the state, its leaders, its military, and its wars, to wake up and open their eyes and recognoye some cold hard facts: The United States has become a rogue state, a pariah nation and evil empire.
The US military is the greatest force for evil in the world.
The US is the arms dealer to the world. The US is not the
world's policeman. The US cannot redeem the world
through violence.
The US government is the greatest threat to life, liberty and property, not the leaders or the military or the people of Iraq, Iran, Syria, China, Russia or Venezuela.
It is imperative that we return to the non-interventionist
foreign policy of the founders. Christians of all people
should be leading the way. Thank you.
